This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
There are a variety of different cargo rack assemblies available for installation on the cargo bed rails of a vehicle such as a pickup truck. The cargo bed rails of a typical pickup truck form the sides of the cargo bed (i.e., cargo area). The top surface of each cargo bed rail, sometimes referred to as the cargo bed rail caps, typically has fairly standardized holes for mounting accessories. These holes are referred to as stake holes or stake pockets. Most pickup trucks typically have at least a forward pair of stake holes positioned in the cargo bed rails near the cab of the pickup truck and a rearward pair of stake holes positioned in the cargo bed rails near the tailgate of the pickup truck. Typical cargo rack assemblies include four upright posts that slide into the stake holes. Cross-members extend between the upright posts at an elevated height to allow for long loads to be hauled by the pickup truck at a position located above the roof of the cab. Such cargo rack assemblies are not movable after they have been installed and have poor aesthetics, particularly when they are not in use (i.e., when they are not carrying a load). Because these cargo rack assemblies do not work as an aesthetic solution, they are mostly used on commercial vehicles rather than on consumer vehicles. Another problem with typical cargo rack assemblies is that they can interfere with the loading of items into the cargo bed from the sides of the vehicle and limit the overall height of an item that can be placed upright in the cargo bed. Additionally, such cargo rack assemblies catch the air flowing off the cab when the vehicle is moving, which can cause buffeting noise and reduced fuel efficiency. There remains a need for a cargo rack assembly that solves these problems and has improved aesthetics over traditional cargo rack assemblies.